Twas the Night Before
by MakoRain
Summary: Tifa can't sleep and it's Christmas Eve...what is wrong with her? 4th in dream within a dream series.


A/N: Hope this brings some holiday cheer! As always, I own nothing FFII legally.

_Dream within a dream, vol. 4 _

"**Twas the Night Before…"**

**By MakoRain**

Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away…

Tifa sighed. This could not be happening…not on Christmas Eve! Sure, Carol of the Bells was her favorite song this holiday season but come on, she wanted to sleep, not sing with the ringing of bells in her head!

She rolled over to face Cloud and smiled at the sight of him in his penguin pajama pants with the covers skewn about. The memory of his face when he opened them as his one present for Christmas Eve was priceless, only to be matched when she said he should wear them tonight. The little flightless birds stared at her amused and happy to be out of their box after being wrapped and put away under the tree for a month or so.

The penguins didn't help drown out the bell hell inside her head and she rolled onto her back, ready to count the stars on the ceiling when she thought she saw something. She stared harder at the glowing constellations and it happened again, one of them moved! How was that possible…

"Cloud." Tifa said eyes still on what was above.

Muttering was all that could be heard as Cloud threw the covers over his head, trying to ignore her.

"Cloud!"

"I need to start slipping you sleeping pills."

"Never mind that, look."

His lack of movement did not lighten her mood. She pointed at the roof urgently and soon his eyes followed it to see…stars.

"Teef," he sighed, "you wanted to put those up there, remember?"

The urge to smother him with a pillow was soon outweighed when the stars shook again in their 'heaven.' Cloud's eye brow went up on one side in contemplation.

"See, I'm not crazy."

"Hmmm." Was the only response she got and looked over to see Cloud eyeing the ceiling with interest. "It moved again."

"So go check it out." It wasn't the smartest idea but Tifa knew she wouldn't be able to sleep till her stars stopped moving adding to her sleep deprivation along with the chorus of bells still going on in her mind.

"Stay here." Cloud said before throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. He was out the door in an instant. It took Tifa about 5 seconds of sitting to realize she couldn't stay still and soon found herself behind Cloud, creeping stealthily down the stairs. She was so good it turned out that she almost scared him into falling down the stairs but he caught himself on the railing just before his face could kiss planks.

A glare over his shoulder told her to behave and she smiled sweetly, willing to follow him into whatever if it could just get her some sleep for once. Cloud stopped at the last few stairs suddenly and Tifa met his back solidly with her face, almost biting him from the shock. He didn't seem to notice as something caught his eye in the living room by the fireplace. She couldn't see over his shoulder but a glimpse of red from the window made her wonder…and was confirmed once she went on tip toes a few steps above Cloud to see….

"You have got to be kidding me."

She didn't know she said the words aloud and at a volume for all to hear for soon she was met with Cloud's blue gaze and a startled Santa Clause looking at her.

"Nice one, Teef," he chided before looking back and seeing a shimmer of magic trail up the fire place. Once the initial shock wore off in about 10 seconds, Tifa turned and ran up the stairs with Cloud following behind her to their bedroom window. In the distance, one could just make out a tiny sleigh with little reindeer leading the way with a merry 'ho ho ho' trailing behind.

"Sorry I scared you, Santa." Tifa called and was met with a delighted "Merry Christmas!" Almost instantly, she was swaying on her feet from exhaustion, and her mind was finally quiet. She beamed and said with a yawn, "Merry Christmas…thank you."

Cloud held Tifa and watched the sleigh disappear in a twinkle of a star before leading her off to bed to get some much needed rest this holiday season.

"Merry Christmas Tifa," he whispered and kissed her forehead, tucking her in for the night and crawling in bed beside her.

"Merry Christmas, Cloud." She breathed before finally finding the rest she needed for a happy holiday indeed.

_The End_

_As it was meant to be_


End file.
